Lonely, Together
by Noppoh
Summary: ONE-SHOT Hermione is watching the graduation celebrations, having finished her education at Hogwarts after the war. Feeling lonely, she's surprised when Draco takes notice. HG/DM


**Everything except the storyline belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

 _I wonder, I really wonder, do I even matter?_ Hermione let out a sight as she watched Harry and Ron goof off at the other side of the room. _Everybody is so happy nowadays. It seems I am no longer needed._

She took a sip from her champagne, and watched the crowd. _I feel like an outsider. Ironic, now that the Muggle-born prejudice is being torn down, I start feeling like an outsider._ Another sip of the champagne. _Oh well, what do you need a bookworm and know-it-all for if there's nothing left to fight?_

A burst of fireworks caught her attention. _At least the George is keeping it low key. It's good to see him move on after his brother's death._ All the Weasleys were present, even Charley had come back from Romania for a couple of days. Both Ron and Ginny were graduating, that, of course, was reason for a full-family celebration. After the war they stuck even closer than before.

Harry was going to move in with the clan, he didn't want to live in Grimmauld Place. It still reminded him too much of Sirius. He had practically been adopted by Molly, like a long lost son or something. Hermione didn't deny him this piece of happiness, Merlin knew he deserved it.

Was it selfish to feel like they had forgotten about her? Yes, she had a house to go back to, but not really a home. They all knew her parents were in Australia, somewhere, she hoped, if the charm had worked properly. So, no, she wasn't an orphan like Harry, but she pretty much felt like one.

Again she surveyed the milling crowd of parents, brothers, sisters, and graduating Hogwarts students. The Great Hall almost seemed too small to hold them all. _I wish my parents were here. I would have loved to show them the Castle. This is the one night the Muggle-repellent charms would have been lifted for them after all._

She sipped her champagne again, trying to shake away her feeling of nostalgia. This was supposed to be a celebratory evening, she could feel sad some other time. Shifting on the bench, she rearranged her skirt around her.

The dark, navy blue sating flowed around her legs. Her silver heels peeked out from underneath. She had dressed up, really dressed up. It had felt right, she was graduating after all. Now she wondered why she had even cared.

Another sip. She knew she should stop drinking from the ever-full glass. Her tolerance for alcohol was low, at times simply non-existent. However, it was dulling her melancholy thoughts, making her feel marginally better, so she kept sipping.

 _How long am I required to stay here?_ She wondered if being Head Girl meant she had to stay until a certain hour. _Then again,_ she pondered, _would anybody even notice if I was gone?_ At that moment, she felt incredibly lonely.

"Granger. Thinking about leaving?"

Hermione jerked up in surprise, narrowly avoiding spilling champagne. She had not seen, nor heard him coming. Looking up, she met Draco's stormy, grey eyes. They had become friends of sorts. It was an almost inevitable outcome after having been Head Boy and Head Girl for the year. She knew he had been lonely throughout the year. His father was in Azkaban, his mother anxious with crowds, and most of his friends had either abandoned him, or fled England.

Hermione couldn't help but appreciate the way he looked. His black, tailored dress robes contrasted beautifully with his pale skin. The shirt underneath was black as well, but had a Slytherin green shade to it when the light hit it in a certain way. It was rather mesmerizing. Returning to his face, she blushed at his knowing smirk.

"You didn't answer my question," he said, sitting himself down next to her.

She tore her gaze away from him, and took another sip. "Yes. Do you know if we're required to stay here for a certain amount of time?"

"No idea," he answered, "but where else would we go?"

"Well …"

"Don't tell me you were thinking about going to the library?"

Hermione looked affronted. "The library has been my friend for years! She deserves a goodbye!"

Draco started laughing, making Hermione smile. She remembered the first time she had heard him laugh. It had surprised her, and taken her completely off guard. Ever since sixth year, she couldn't even remember seeing Draco laugh.

 _She had been muttering about Ron while tidying their common room. At the time, she and Ron were dating, but he turned out to be a total dunderhead. He had dragged her into a small storage room and started groping her. If that wasn't bad enough, he never bothered with a Lumos, bumping into the shelves, dumping all sort of stuff over their heads._

 _Too absorbed in her complaining about Ron, she didn't notice Draco entering their quarters. It was only when he started laughing that she became aware of his presence. The sound had been so unexpected, especially from him, that she could only stare at him._

' _You should dump his ass, Granger' was all he said, before withdrawing to his room. She heartily agreed with him, and Ron and her had parted amiably the next day. Both of them agreed it was never going to work out._

Her mind returned to the present as Draco wiped his eyes, coming down from his outburst.

"Well then, let's go to the library," he said, standing up and offering his hand.

Surprised, she accepted. She couldn't believe he was getting her out of there. Once she was fully standing, he took a step back to survey her.

"You look good, Granger," he said, raking his eyes up and down.

She blushed at his statement. Perhaps her dressing up had some reason to it after all.

"Thanks," she whispered.

He put her hand in the crook of his elbow and escorted her out of the Great Hall. It turned some heads, but mostly by parents. The student body was well used to seeing Draco and herself together.

"What are your plans this summer?" Draco asked.

Again, he caught her by surprise. They had avoided mentioning summer plans like the plague these last few weeks.

"'I'll be going to my parent's house, I guess," she answered. "I'll have to figure out what to do with it. Live there? Sell it? I don't know."

"You're not going to look for them?" He spoke softly, he was well aware it was a sore topic for her.

"I don't have the money."

He nodded. When they reached the library, Hermione could feel tears cloud her eyes.

"I'm really going to miss this place," she commented.

She expected Draco to start laughing again, but when he didn't, she turned to look at him. He, in turn, was looking at her, something unreadable in his eyes.

"Go on," he said gently, "roam the stacks one more time." A small smile played around his lips.

Hermione returned his smile, and started wandering, relating anecdotes about books and discoveries along the way. Draco was quietly following her. When they reached the Restricted Section, she realised she had been babbling non-stop.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking at him apologetically, "I must be boring you."

He still had that strange look in his eyes. She wondered what it was about.

"Not at all," he answered. "After all your stories, I feel like I haven't spent enough time in here."

The smile he flashed her was dazzling. He was looking down at her, seemingly relaxed, hands in his pockets, but the tension in his shoulders told her something else. She wondered what he was thinking.

"Granger," he started, taking a deep breath, "I've been thinking." He avoided her eyes, looking over her shoulder. "I think we get along well enough, and we survived being cooped up for a year. There's this flat in London that I'm going to rent. Or my mother insists that I rent, actually. But it's quite big, a little too big for my comfort. So, I was wondering, would you perhaps consider being my roommate? I would hate seeing you alone and unhappy in your parent's old home."

Hermione gaped at him, completely shocked. Draco glanced her way. His face crumbled, taking her silence as rejection.

"It was only an idea, I know - "

She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his taut frame. The shocked look on his face was priceless. After a moment hesitation, his arms enveloped her.

"Granger?" he asked, sounding unsure.

"Yes," she breathed, "yes, I'll be your roommate." She couldn't believe that of all the people, of all her friends, it was Draco that had remembered her. That he was the only one that had given her some thought, and realised she didn't really have a place to go to either. She felt like kissing him, really kissing him.

 _Not yet,_ she thought, _not yet. There'll be plenty of time to warm him up to it when we're living together._

She smiled as she burrowed her head in his clothes, savouring his smell. Her smile grew even wider as she felt him resting his cheek on the top of her head.

"Oh," he said, his breath ghosting through her hair, "good, wonderful."


End file.
